After the lemon macarons, here are the milk chocolate macarons. I’ve always made macarons with a dark chocolate ganache. They’re the only ones I can eat. But even so, I quickly found them too rich, and it was rare for me to go back for a second one.
Here, the macarons are filled with a milk chocolate whipped ganache. The result is lighter and less cloying — in short, this version gets my approval!
Ingredients & preparation
3 components · Complete recipe
Shells
Ingredients
- 70 g (2.5 oz) egg whites
- 140 g (4.9 oz) icing sugar
- 80 g (2.8 oz) ground almonds
- 20 g (0.7 oz) caster sugar
- 10 g (0.4 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- red food colouring
Instructions
1
Blitz the icing sugar, ground almonds and unsweetened cocoa powder together, then sift the mixture.
2
Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, adding the caster sugar in 2 stages and whisking at maximum speed to achieve the “bird’s beak” consistency. Add a touch of red food colouring (this enhances the brown colour) and mix a little more. I use powder food colouring and add just the tip of a knife. Gradually fold in the almond/icing sugar mixture using a rubber spatula. The batter should be shiny, smooth and fall back in a ribbon. Once the right consistency is reached, transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Don’t hesitate to use a large glass to prop up your piping bag — that way you can use both hands.
3
Pipe small domes of approximately 3.5 cm (1.4 in) in a staggered pattern onto a sheet of parchment paper. To get even macarons, I use a template downloaded from Pure Gourmandise. Leave to form a skin for around 20 minutes.
4
Bake at 120°C / 250°F for 20–22 minutes. Once out of the oven, leave to cool before lifting the shells off the parchment. The shells are done when they come off very easily.
Step by step
Not quite comfortable with macaron shells yet? I’ve put together two full step-by-step picture guides to help you get it right every time:
Whipped Milk Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 75 g (2.6 oz) milk chocolate
- 60 g (2.1 oz) full-fat double cream (1)
- 125 g (4.4 oz) full-fat double cream (2)
- 1 g (0 oz) gelatine (1/2 sheet)
Instructions
1
Rehydrate the gelatine in water.
2
Break the milk chocolate into pieces in a bowl (you can gently melt it in a bain-marie or in the microwave).
3
Heat the 60 g (2.1 oz) of cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
4
Remove from the heat, add the rehydrated gelatine and stir.
5
Pour one third of the cream over the milk chocolate and mix with a spatula to create an emulsion. Then pour in a second third, followed by the third, to obtain a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
6
Add the 125 g (4.4 oz) of well-chilled cream and mix again. Blend for a few seconds with a hand blender to fully homogenise the mixture.
7
Cover with cling film pressed directly onto the surface and refrigerate overnight.
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Instructions
1
Whip the milk chocolate ganache with a mixer until it is firm enough to pipe but not so stiff that it splits. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 10 mm round nozzle.
2
Sort your macaron shells so that the ones you pair together are the same size.
3
Pipe a ball of whipped milk chocolate ganache in the centre of one shell and sandwich the two halves together.
4
Refrigerate the macarons and wait 24 hours before eating them. The macarons should spend the first night in an uncovered container (to prevent them from becoming damp), then close the container and keep in the fridge for a further 24 hours. They’ll only be better for it.
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